The Dragon and the Prince
by Wolfgrowl
Summary: Prince Eren is constantly kidnapped by the dragon that pillages his kingdom for cleaning supplies. (AKA Levi). He really doesn't mind though.


Happy birthday Whisk! This turned out to be more Fairy Tale AU then Dragon AU but I like how it turned out. And don't be fooled I remembered the angst.

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Once upon a time there was a young prince. He had eyes the color of the ocean beside his castle and was loved by his kingdom for his spirit. Well by most of his kingdom. The horse faced servant boy did not count.

But the Prince was lonely. He had two good friends but as the three had grown older they had begun to drift apart. His best friend went to study magic and the girl who was like a sister to him was training among the guard to protect him when he took the throne.

The prince knew she wanted to protect him now, but she could not. Not yet. What the others considered a menace and a terror was his only source of freedom.

For you see, this kingdom had a dragon. A dragon that enjoyed kidnapping the prince only to release him later rather than fight the soldiers on their way to fight him.

Prince Eren, for that was his name, still snuck out of the castle though. For he could not be contained behind walls.

As always there was the sounds of wings, then Prince Eren felt a powerful grip on his shoulders.

The dragon made off with the prince and carried him off to his lair.

The dragon was as black as obsidian with eyes as sharp and gray as swords. He was lean and rather small for a dragon, but he was fierce and strong. He was one of the strongest dragons alive.

But the prince was not afraid of the dragon, for the dragon never harmed him.

The dragon, Levi, sighed as he looked at his familiar house guest.

"You could put up a little bit of a fight," he remarked to the prince, rather sarcastically.

"Oh. Help. Save me from this fearsome beast," Prince Eren said, smiling as he did not raise his voice.

Levi shifted into human form, as he could with his magic, and fixed his gaze upon the prince, "are you not afraid of me?"

"I have never been," the prince replied to the dragon, "you have never harmed me."

And this was true. For years the dragon had never so much as scratched the prince. It was almost enough to ruin his image if he hadn't been fierce enough to fight anyone who said something about it. (Such as a certain bizarre dragon that lived nearby of undeterminable gender was prone to do. They were a minor pest though, nothing more, and Levi allowed them to live).

The dragon sighed, "bratty prince."

"Overgrown lizard."

The dragon almost smiled, "so, your majesty, what would you like to do?"

"Would you continue the story? You left off at a terrible place last time," the prince made sure to wipe his boots on the mat the dragon had just for him. For Levi's cave was spotless.

The dragon nodded, "of course."

He and the prince made their way to the dragon's nest. If was a delicate journey as they had to navigate his hoard. For every dragon has a hoard, everyone knows this. This dragon just happened to hoard cleaning supplies. And kidnap only one particular prince rather than a multitude of princesses.

But there was a reason for that; the kidnapping the prince, not the hoarding cleaning supplies. For the dragon knew, though the prince did not, that the stories he told were real. The stories he told the prince of a land where people lived in fear of giants and only the brave fought for their freedom had been real once. And had been their lives once.

But the dragon did not want the prince to remember. For the dragon loved the prince as the corporal had once loved a brat.

And so the prince ended up in the dragon's bed, listening to him tell the story of humanity's struggle against the titans. The story of a corporal and his charge who was both human and titan.

Eventually though the prince began to get tired. Not because the dragon's story was dull or he was a bad story teller but because the life of a prince is rough, and he needed some rest.

The dragon chuckled as the prince began to doze, and stopped his story.

"Sleep well brat." He only acknowledge the past life when he knew the prince would not hear him.

The dragon did not cuddle with the prince. That is a very undragon like thing to do. Despite the fact dragons are really just oversized house cats. That resemble lizards. And breathe fire. There was no cuddling. The fact that there was no space between the dragon and the prince was entirely a coincidence.

For Levi would not force Eren to remember their past life, or to pursue a relationship with him. He wanted Eren to be free this time and that is all. For his love for him one life had merely continued into another.

The next morning the dragon was awoken by noises outside. This was not wise, for Levi was not a morning person unless Eren had made him a pot of tea and the prince was still sleeping.

The dragon pulled out of the prince's arm, still denying that the prince saw him as more than a friend, this dragon was a bit awkward when it came to romance. After all he kidnapped the object of his affection on a regular basis and that is not how one builds a healthy relationship. Though was it really kidnapping if Prince Eren wanted to go?

A debate for another time as the noises outside had gotten louder.

Levi tucked Eren in, and went outside to roar at the peasants who'd dared to disturb him.

Eren awoke to the sound of a pained roar.

He almost fell out of Levi's huge bed and raced out of the cave, careful not to knock over the careful stacks of sponges or the collection of brooms and mops on his way out.

The prince blinked at the sun but then his eyes widened in horror at the sight just outside of the cave.

Levi had reared up and his obsidian black scale shimmered as though something covered them. Magic.

The prince watched the magic dissipate as his best friend stopped his chanting. Armin had returned.

As the dragon fell forward he shifted, the prince saw his other friend stand before the dragon and something even more horrifying.

Mikasa's sword buried in Levi's chest.

And the prince screamed. For the prince loved the dragon as a brat had once loved a corporal. The prince may not have remembered the life, but his heart remembered the love.

The prince ran to the dying dragon, he ignored his friends, even twisting out of Mikasa's grasp to pull the dragon to him.

"Levi!"

The dragon looked up, "my prince."

"No, you cannot leave me," the prince ordered, in vain for already the dragon was leaving. Even as the prince ran his hand over the dragon's face the fire was going out in steel gray eyes.

"I'm sorry, Eren."

The prince screamed again as the dragon died, later it would occur to him that the scene and the pain were familiar somehow but for now all he could do was grieve.

This was not the story of humanity's fight against the titans. But this was not the story where they got their happy ending either.


End file.
